The Los Angeles Lakers announced they signed Juan Toscano-Anderson. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is reported to be one year for the veteran minimum.
The Golden State Warriors did not extend Toscano-Anderson a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Toscano-Anderson spent the last past two seasons with the Warriors, winning a title with the franchise this past year. Prior to that, he spent a couple of seasons with their G League affiliate the Santa Cruz Warriors. Toscano-Anderson went undrafted in 2015 and ended up playing a few seasons in Mexico and Venezuela.
Despite being 6’6″, Toscano-Anderson has the ability to toggle between power forward and even center. That kind of defensive versatility should fit well in head coach Darvin Ham’s defensive scheme as he can play alongside either LeBron James or Anthony Davis.
With the Warriors, Toscano-Anderson did not play heavy minutes but was solid in the shifts where he did see the floor and that will help the Lakers who are starved for bigger wing players. While Los Angeles appears ways away from contending for a title as currently constructed, they offer Toscano-Anderson ample minutes to build up his value and allow him to try for a more lucrative deal in the next free agency cycle.
As an over-the-cap team, the Lakers had few avenues to add impact free agents so landing someone like Toscano-Anderson on a veteran minimum deal should be considered a win in the eyes of fans. He might not stuff the stat sheet, but as a reliable defender who can play in high-leverage situations, he fills a clear need for Los Angeles.
With Toscano-Anderson in tow, the front office will need to continue scouring the market for value adds to get the team back to title contention. The Oakland native was a solid start, but there’s more work to be done.
Stephen Curry bids farewell to Juan Toscano-Anderson
It was a storybook ending for Toscano-Anderson who got to celebrate a championship win in his hometown. Toscano-Anderson was beloved by his Warriors teammates and after his move to the Lakers was announced, Stephen Curry posted a video of the two celebrating with champagne after beating the Boston Celtics.
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